Over the last two or three years, espresso pods and espresso pod coffee machines have grown enormously in popularity. If you don't know what these ingenious devices are and you like a good espresso coffee, then you have been missing out!

Unlike a traditional espresso coffee machine, where you have to measure out your ground coffee into a metal container and then switch it on to force hot water or steam through at high pressure, with these coffee pod machines you simply place a small sealed plastic containing the coffee into a receptacle and flick a switch. The foil lid of the pod is then pierced and hot water is forced through.

This process creates a brew of very tasty espresso coffee, which is collected in a small cup, placed on a tray underneath the spout. The quality of coffee served by these machines is every bit as good as a cup of "real espresso".

There are many advantages to espresso coffee pod machines over the traditional espresso coffee makers, not least of which is that they are generally a lot cheaper to buy. They are also a lot more convenient and easier to operate, and require much less in the way of maintenance.

In case you are wondering whether the coffee from these pod machines tastes as good as a "real" espresso, well the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If you were to taste a cup of coffee made from an espresso pod side by side with an espresso coffee made the traditional way, I would challenge you to say which is which.

You really can't beat an espresso pod machine for the convenience factor, this is one of the main reasons why they have become so popular. Have you ever used a traditional espresso machine? You have to clean it out after every time you use it, which gets to be quite a pain after a while. Compare this with the coffee pod machine, where you simply insert your pod, flick the switch and enjoy your coffee. There is very little cleaning or maintenance required as the spent pod is just ejected into the waste container, which you can easily remove and empty into the bin. It is incredibly simple.

The only real disadvantage to coffee pod machines versus traditional espresso machines is the environmental one, i.e. the fact that the pods are made of strong plastic and foil. This of course needs to be disposed of when used, so could contribute to landfill, which is not particularly environmentally friendly. If this is important to you, then you may be better off with a standard espresso machine, as the only waste you will have with that is the coffee grounds, and they are biodegradable.

You may be able to recycle your used coffee pods, however. It is probably doing a bit of extra research into that because all the other advantages of coffee pod machines over traditional espresso machines (convenience, low cost, less maintenance, wide choice of coffee blends, etc), make espresso pods the way to go if you enjoy a good espresso.

Ahead of going to the shops and spending any of your hard earned cash on a new espresso pod machine, you will probably want to check to the shops Benjamin's article on espresso pods at the website Coffee Pods Galore.

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